Utility rack and method

ABSTRACT

A utility rack is disclosed. The utility rack includes a base, an elongate support, an upper compartment, and a locking-safe. The elongate support is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to the base. The upper compartment is configured to attach to the elongate support at an end distal to the base. The upper compartment includes a plurality of partitions. The locking-safe occupies one of the pluralities of partitions in the upper compartment. The base, the elongate support, and the upper compartment form a vertically standing structure when attached in series. The utility rack is useful for retaining law enforcement equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/564,199 filed Sep. 27, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the provided information is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to the field of racks of existing art and more specifically relates to law enforcement utility racks.

RELATED ART

Law enforcement officials carry numerous accessories and essential pieces of equipment. Typically, an officer must carry these accessories on their person for quick access. The increasing list of daily supplies includes notepads, writing utensils, firearm and holster, ballistic vests, flashlight, and handcuffs to name a few. The various essential equipment and supplies are retained on or near an officer when on duty. In preparation for each shift, a law enforcement official must equip the supplies. Officers agree that organization of the equipment between shifts is crucial. Existing efforts to keep organized include modified hat racks, storage cabinets, and similar dedicated spaces. However, the prior art fails to accommodate firearms securely.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,073 to Amanda L. McNab relates to a utility rack. The described utility rack includes a utility rack for organizing and storing a variety of clothing and accessory items commonly worn and used by law enforcement personnel. The utility rack includes several apparel supports and accessory supports, and more specifically, the utility rack includes a shoe-rack, radio support, microphone mount, apparel hook, hat-rack, utility belt hanger, vest hanger, and storage box all carried on an elongated post affixed to a base with adjustable footing for leveling the rack. The apparel supports and accessory supports are disposed at various levels along the height of the post for organizing the clothing and accessory items in a functional arrangement generally related to the manner in which the items are usually donned and removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known law enforcement utility racks art, the present disclosure provides a novel utility rack and method. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a utility rack and method.

A utility rack for holding law enforcement equipment is disclosed. The utility rack includes a base, an elongate support, an upper compartment, and a locking-safe. The elongate support is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to the base. The upper compartment is configured to attach to the elongate support at an end distal to the base. The upper compartment includes a plurality of partitions. The locking-safe occupies one of the pluralities of partitions in the upper compartment. The base, the elongate support, and the upper compartment form a vertically standing structure when attached in series.

According to another embodiment, a method of assembling the utility rack is also disclosed. The method includes a step of providing a utility rack as described above, a step of attaching an elongate support to a base, a step of attaching an upper compartment to the elongate support at an end distal to the base, a step of mounting the upper compartment to a vertical surface with a compartment-wall-mount mechanism, and a step of mounting the upper compartment to a vertical surface with a compartment-wall-mount mechanism.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a utility rack and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the utility rack, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the utility rack of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a reconfigured perspective view of the utility rack of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the utility rack of FIG. 1, during an ‘in-use’ condition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of assembling a utility rack, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The various embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a law enforcement utility racks and more particularly to a utility rack and method as used to improve the existing storage racks.

Generally, the utility rack is a space-efficient storage area for the organization of law enforcement equipment. Similar organizations such as military and first responders may also find the utility rack useful. The utility rack may be assembled to stand vertically, thereby occupying a minimal amount of floor space. Alternatively, the utility rack may be mounted on a wall or other flat surface. The utility rack may comprise of any known material including wood, metal, plastic, ceramic, and all like composites. The utility rack comprises three main components: an upper storage area, an elongate storage area, and a base. In alternate embodiments, the elongate storage area may be replaced by a non-storage support pole. When the utility rack is assembled in a vertical orientation, the three main components are connected in series. The upper storage area and the elongate storage area include a mounting mechanism that enables the components to be attached to a wall.

The upper storage area includes multiple partitions and shelving arrangements for storage and organization of various law enforcement supplies. The shelving and partitions may include apertures configured to receive wires, for charging electronic devices and the like. At least one of the partitions includes a locking safe made of a metal, such as steel, or a hard plastic. The locking safe may further include partitions, shelves, and other means to organize items. The locking safe may be useful for officers to secure their weapons, bullets, and other dangerous items. The upper storage area further includes armatures that may be useful for hanging equipment. These armatures include a configuration to hang a ballistic vest such that the downward force is evenly distributed on the upper storage area. The armatures further include a configuration to hang a utility belt. The utility belt configuration provides a space below the armature for a belt to hang unimpeded.

The elongate storage area serves as a vertical support pillar when in series between the base and the upper storage compartment. The elongate storage area further serves as a secure area for an officer to store a long firearm, such as a rifle. The elongate storage area includes at least one locking hatch that is openable by a key lock, a combination lock, or a fingerprint or other biometric lock, as well as many other methods as known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments the elongate storage area may be an extruded polygon such as squares, rectangles, triangles, pentagons, and hexagons. In other embodiments the elongate storage area may be an extruded shape that is annular.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4, various views of a utility rack 100.

FIG. 1 shows a utility rack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the utility rack may be beneficial to retain law enforcement equipment. As illustrated, the utility rack 100 may include a base 110, an elongate support 120, and an upper compartment 130. The elongate support 120 is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to the base 110. The elongate support 120 may include a support-compartment 121. In some embodiments, the elongate support may be a pole 126. The pole 126 and the elongate support 120 having a support-compartment 121 are interchangeable. The upper compartment 130 is configured to attach to the elongate support 120 at an end opposite the base 110. The upper compartment 130 includes a plurality of partitions 131. A locking-safe 140 occupies one of the pluralities of partitions 131 in the upper compartment 130. The base 110, the elongate support 120, and the upper compartment 130 form a vertically standing structure when attached in series.

According to one embodiment, the utility rack 100 may be arranged as a kit 105. In particular, the utility rack 100 may further include a set of instructions 107. The instructions 107 may detail functional relationships about the structure of the utility rack 100 such that the utility rack 100 can be used, maintained, or the like, in a preferred manner.

FIG. 2 shows the utility rack of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As above, the utility rack 100 may include a base 110, an elongate support 120, and an upper compartment 130. In another embodiment, the elongate support 120 comprises a metal, such as steel, aluminum, and associated composites thereof. The support-compartment 121 may be of suitable size to receive at least one rifle 70 (depicted in FIG. 4). The elongate support 121 may include a support-door 122 configured to close a volume defined by the support-compartment 121. The support-door 122 may further include a support-lock 123. The support-lock 123 may use a key, a combination, biometric input, and all further conceived means of activation. In some versions support-lock 123 requires a key, a combination, biometric input, and all further conceived means of activation.

The upper compartment 130 is configured to attach to the elongate support 120 at an end opposite the base 110. The upper compartment 130 may include a plurality of armatures 132. Each of said plurality of armatures 132 may be individually used to retain apparel and accessories. The plurality of armatures 132 may include a utility belt retention armature 133. The utility belt retention armature 133 may be disposed on the upper compartment 130 such that there is ample space below the utility belt retention armature 133. The plurality of armatures 132 may further include ballistic vest retention armatures 134. The ballistic vest armatures 134 may be configured to distribute the weight of a ballistic vest evenly on the upper compartment 130. In some variations, the locking-safe 140 and the upper compartment 130 may comprise steel in another embodiment. In an alternate embodiment, the utility rack 100 may comprise a hard plastic.

FIG. 3 is another view of the utility rack of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the utility rack 100 may include a base 110 (FIG. 2), an elongate support 120, and an upper compartment 130. The upper compartment 130 includes a plurality of partitions 131 where a locking-safe 140 occupies at least one of the plurality of partitions 131. In some embodiments, the locking-safe 140 may be detachable from the upper compartment 130. As shown, the elongate support 120 may be separable from the base 110. The elongate support 120 may include a support-wall-mount mechanism (not shown). The support-wall-mount mechanism (not shown) allows the elongate support 120 to be attached to a wall 80. The upper compartment 130 may also be separable from the elongate support 120. The upper compartment 130 may include a compartment-wall-mount mechanism (not shown). The compartment-wall-mount mechanism (not shown) allows for the upper compartment 130 to be mounted to a wall 80. Here shown is the separable functionality of the elongate support 120 from the base 110, and the upper compartment 130 from the elongate support 120. In this embodiment, the elongate support 120 and the upper compartment 130 are no longer serially connected.

FIG. 4 shows a utility rack during an ‘in-use’ condition 50, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the utility rack 100 may include a base 110, an elongate support 120, and an upper compartment 130. The elongate support 120 is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to the base 110. The elongate support 120 may include a support-compartment 121. The support-compartment 121 may be useful for storing a rifle 70. The upper compartment 130 is configured to attach to the elongate support 120 at an end distal to the base 110. The plurality of armatures 132 includes a utility belt retention armature 133. As shown, the utility belt retention armature 133 is used for hanging a utility belt 71.

Further shown, the plurality of armatures 132 includes a ballistic vest retention armatures 134. The ballistic vest retention armatures 134 are used to hang a ballistic vest 72. The locking-safe 140 may include a non-abrasive material 141 disposed on the interior of the locking-safe 140.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for assembling a utility rack, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the method for assembling a utility rack 500 may include assembling one or more components or features of the utility rack 100 as described above. As illustrated, the method for assembling a utility rack 500 may include the steps of step one 501 providing a utility rack step two 502 attaching an elongate support to a base, step three 503 attaching an upper compartment to the elongate support at an end distal to the base, step four 504 mounting the upper compartment to a vertical surface with a compartment-wall-mount mechanism, step five 505 mounting the upper compartment to a vertical surface with a compartment-wall-mount mechanism.

It should be noted that steps 504 and 505 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of the method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in FIG. 5 to distinguish them from the other steps of the method of use 500. It should also be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). It should also be noted that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods for assembling a utility rack, are taught herein.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary, and numerous modifications, variations, and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. 

What is claimed is new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:
 1. A utility rack for holding law enforcement equipment, the utility rack comprising: a base; an elongate support, said elongate support is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to said base; an upper compartment, said upper compartment is configured to attach to said elongate support at an end distal to said base, said upper compartment including a plurality of partitions; and a locking-safe, said locking-safe occupying one of said plurality of partitions in said upper compartment, wherein said base, said elongate support and said upper compartment form a vertically standing structure when attached in series.
 2. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said elongate support includes a support-wall-mount mechanism.
 3. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said upper compartment includes a compartment-wall-mount mechanism.
 4. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said elongate support includes a support-door.
 5. The utility rack of claim 4, wherein said support-door includes a support-lock.
 6. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said elongate support comprises steel.
 7. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said upper compartment includes a plurality of armatures.
 8. The utility rack of claim 7, wherein said plurality of armatures includes a utility belt retention armature.
 9. The utility rack of claim 7, wherein said plurality of armatures includes ballistic vest retention armatures.
 10. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said upper compartment comprises steel.
 11. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said locking-safe comprises steel.
 12. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said locking-safe is separable from said upper compartment.
 13. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said utility rack comprises a hard plastic.
 14. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said elongate support is separable from said base.
 15. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said upper compartment is separable from said elongate support.
 16. The utility rack of claim 1, wherein said upper compartment includes a non-abrasive material.
 17. A utility rack, the utility rack comprising: a base; an elongate support, said elongate support is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to said base; an upper compartment, said upper compartment is configured to attach to said elongate support at an end distal to said base, said upper compartment including a plurality of partitions; and a locking-safe, said locking-safe occupying one of said plurality of partitions in said upper compartment, wherein said base, said elongate support and said upper compartment form a vertically standing structure when attached in series; wherein said elongate support includes a support-wall-mount mechanism; wherein said upper compartment includes a compartment-wall-mount mechanism; wherein said support includes a support-door; wherein said support-door includes a support-lock; wherein said elongate support comprises steel; wherein said upper compartment includes a plurality of armatures; wherein said plurality of armatures include a utility belt retention armature; wherein said plurality of armatures include ballistic vest retention armatures; wherein said upper compartment comprises steel; wherein said locking-safe comprises steel; wherein said locking-safe is detachable from said upper compartment; wherein said elongate support is separable from said base; wherein said upper compartment is separable from said elongate support; and wherein said upper compartment includes a non-abrasive material.
 18. The utility rack of claim 17, further comprising a set of instructions, wherein the elongate support is a pole and the utility rack and instructions are arranged as a kit.
 19. A method of assembling a utility rack, the method comprising the steps of: providing a utility rack comprising a base, an elongate support, said elongate support is configured to attach in a perpendicular orientation to said base, said elongate support including a support-compartment, an upper compartment, said upper compartment is configured to attach to said elongate support at an end distal to said base, said upper compartment including a plurality of partitions, a locking-safe, said locking-safe occupying one of said plurality of partitions in said upper compartment, wherein said base, said elongate support and said upper compartment form a vertically standing structure when attached in series, attaching an elongate support to a base; and attaching an upper compartment to said elongate support at an end distal to said base.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of: mounting said upper compartment to a vertical surface with a compartment-wall-mount mechanism; and mounting said elongate support to said vertical surface with a support-wall-mount mechanism. 